Saturday, February 21, 2015

V-Day Train Extravaganza


I might've mentioned once or twice that my fella is pretty awesome, and his plans for this Valentine's Day just proved that once more. He got us tickets for a murder-mystery train trip from Nashville to Watertown, TN that was lots of fun!


We had first class tickets for the train trip, and our seats were very comfortable. There were lots of people in our train car, but it never felt crowded. Our volunteer 'concierge' was Hugh, an adorable older man who obviously does this job because he loves it. He told jokes and was super sweet to everyone. (There was a rather loud group of older women in our train car, but they didn't annoy us too much.) The fella and I spent the ride to Watertown just relaxing and talking and enjoying the scenery. It was actually pretty romantic since we got to cuddle up in our seats for the hour and a half or so that it took to get there.


About a half hour into our journey, the murder-mystery actors arrived. They acted out the play in two scenes, one on the way to our destination and one on the way back. The action occurred in between the seats of our car. Since we were right in the middle of the car, the action happened right next to us mostly. I liked being able to see/hear everything easily, but I didn't like being right in the center of the action. The first act was the performance of the exposition and the murder itself while the second act resolved the murder. It was a little bit hokey, but that was totally okay. The actors were talented and obviously passionate about their craft, so that totally made it worth it.


When we arrived in Watertown, a tiny town of prob only a couple thousand people (if that many), it was already time for lunch.  The fella had scoped out the restaurant options ahead of time and had chosen for us to eat at a little Italian place called Nonna's. I was excited and hungry, but we soon realized that the train was too full for the number of people the 3 or 4 little cafes in town could easily serve. After placing our pizza order, we decided to just make the best out of the situation and snagged a seat outside. (Keep in mind it was like 30 degrees!) They had a firepit out back, so we set ourselves up next to it under the arbor. It was cold but not miserable. I bet the firepit and the arbor are gorgeous in the spring and summer!





Another couple vacated the table in front of the restaurant that had a little chimnea thing next to it, so we snagged their spot as we waited for our pizza. Just a few minutes later, they brought our pizza out to us. The fella had let me choose the toppings, so I went with a classic deluxe style. The pizza was phenomenal! We each ate 3 big pieces of pizza, but I didn't regret it at all. The crust was obviously homemade, and the ingredients were fresh. If you ever find yourself in Watertown, I'd recommend the place in a heartbeat. Just keep in mind that it only holds about 15 people inside - lol!

After lunch, we walked around the tiny town while I took pictures. It was very much a Mayberry-type town but in a good way. We wandered into the local candy shop where I bought 1/4 pound of almond bark toffee. (Yeah, I ate all of it this week while I've been snowed in. The horror! At least I didn't buy a pound.) We peered into the tiny Watertown Archives and took pictures.






We ventured into a few of the antique stores that surrounded the tiny town square. I'm currently in the market for old globes and vintage maps and anything related to wiener dogs, but I didn't find anything in the shops that would work at a reasonable price. (One shop wanted $25 for a really small globe! I thought that was a bit pricey, personally.) The shops were very crowded since the train was in town, but it was obvious that these tourists were probably keeping the shops in business.



The fella came along with me to all these shops willingly and didn't even act like he wanted to hurry. (How amazing is that?!) He even posed for pics and took pics of me. I tell ya, he's a good sport. I asked him to pose in front of the barber shop because, ya know, he's bald, and I found it to be ironic. He must know I like his bald head because he didn't seem to mind! (For the record, I do have kind of a thing for bald guys...especially this one.)


I then asked him to take this photo of me in front of this wall because I loved the texture of it, and I'm telling you the man didn't even blink an eye. He just nodded and snapped away. That's exactly the kind of fella a scrapbooker needs in her life, don't ya think? And wonder of all wonders, I don't hate this pic. Woot! Woot!


I was so giddy that he was willing and not grouchy, that I then insisted on taking his pic again but in front of a brick wall this time. I love brick walls in photos.


Before getting back on the train to go home, we wandered around a little bit more and snapped some pics of the quaint square. The now-abandoned police station was super cool from the outside.








Before we loaded the train, I asked our concierge/conductor, Hugh, to take our photo in front of the train. I can live with these pics.  :) He must deal with women wanting photos all the time because he offered to take a couple instead of the single one that most non-scrapbookers and men seem to want to take. I knew Hugh was a smart guy. Lol! It's possible that the fella was slightly embarassed by my take-charge and take my picture approach, but he was smart enough not to mention it. ;)



After our train trip, the fella took me to JoAnn's in Nashville so I could check out their new scrappy arrivals. (He did this without complaint and without rushing me!!!!) We drove on back to BG at that point because we were both tired. Rather than fight the V-day crowds that night at a restaurant, I made us a big salad and some pasta (the fella's request) with some fresh bread.  The fella brought me candy and a card since the train trip had been my actual gift. (Notice the candy says it's for the teacher; my fella has a sense of humor, right? Hahaha!) I got the fella some Kenneth Cole cologne and some very nice thread count sheets since he'd mentioned that he wanted to buy some soon. He seemed to really like both.



All in all, it was the most wonderful Valentine's Day I've ever spent. The fella and I spent it together, and he was kind and considerate and happy and thoughtful. He made sure I had a lovely day, and I've never experienced that in my life before now. Everything else -the train trip, the pics, the meal, the candy-  was just gravy.

4 comments:

  1. What a fabulously wonderful and thoughtful day! You're a lucky woman.

    ReplyDelete
  2. How fun! I'm so glad your "fella" made you feel happy and special on Valentine's Day. That's what it's all about! ~ Laura

    ReplyDelete
  3. He's a keeper! What a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  4. He's a keeper! What a great day!

    ReplyDelete